Politics

By Hadiza Suleman Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, former spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, says LP's presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, lacks the capacity to protect voters' mandates given to him, hence his decision to ditch the former Anambra governor. Okonkwo, lawyer and veteran Nollywood actor, disclosed his decision to abandon Obi in a post via his social media handle. He criticised Obi for not seeking the solutions to the crisis in Labour Party, but rather validating the leadership that its tenure has expired. He expressed anger over the pains "Nigerians are going…

By Hadiza Suleman President Bola Tinubu, Tuesday, urged the masterminds of the planned August 1-10 protests to shelve their plans. He assured them that he had listened to their concerns and was working towards addressing them. The president also assured that his administration was working on a social intervention scheme to accommodate all unemployed graduates nationwide. He prayed the youths to exercise patience, adding that he was already addressing the issues raised and assured that his government would promptly react to all their concerns. The position of the president was stated by the minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr…

By Hadiza Suleman A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Wednesday, ruled that Dr Asue Ighodalo is the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state. The verdict was delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the suit marked CS/469/24. Dr Ighodalo was duly nominated at the February 22nd primary election of the PDP, Justice Omotosho ruled. He consequently dismissed the case filed against Ighodalo's nomination by the plaintiff, Mr Philip Shaibu. People&Politics reports that Dr Ighodalo emerged the governorship candidate of…

By Johnson Nwankwo Barr Chijioke Edeoga, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State during the 2023 general elections, Tuesday, called on the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution to delist state electoral commissions and transfer the conduct of elections into all local governments in Nigeria to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Edeoga commended the Supreme Court verdict of July 11, 2024 which affirmed full financial autonomy to the 774 local government areas of the country, expressing joy that many governors had pledged to comply with the ruling. Quoting him, "But the National Assembly should note…

By Hadiza Suleman The National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos, has been named after Prof Wole Soyinka to mark the Nobel laureate's 90th birthday. A statement by President Bola Tinubu's special adviser on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday, said the centre would now be called “The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts". Soyinka will turn 90 on July 13, 2024. Professor Soyinka is a globally celebrated playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, actor, singer, composer, and documentarian. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986 – the first African to win the prize in that…

By Hadiza Suleman Former Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says the judgement of the Supreme Court granting total financial autonomy to the local government councils in Nigeria is "as a step in the right direction". Atiku stated this in a statement on Thursday. According to him, the decision by the federal government to consolidate disbursements of local councils’ revenues into the state government accounts was a decision that was borne out of politics of hasty compromise. Mr Atiku said that the local governments should be centres of development and not otherwise. Quoting him, “The judgment of the Supreme Court earlier today…

By Hadiza Suleman The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Thursday, told the thirty-six state governors and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to account for local government allocations they had been taking custody of or face legal action. This followed the Supreme Court verdict that it is unconstitutional for states and the FCT to hold allocations meant for LGAs. The judgement followed a suit filed by the federal government aiming to make the 774 LGAs in Nigeria autonomous. SERAP said the apex court's decision would end the persistent misappropriation of FAAC allocations and public funds meant…